Farfugium japonicum 'Gigantea' (Giant Leopard Plant) - This interesting herbaceous perennial holds broad, rounded shiny green leaves that are 5 to 18 inches across and rise up from the ground individually on 3 to 4 foot stalks. In late summer through fall yellow daisy-like flowers bloom on tall branched flower stems. The Giant Leopard Plant will grow in sun or shade, but seems to do its best in part or bright full shade and requires it in hotter inland locations unless ample water is provided. Water regularly - in our shade garden the Ligularia are our "irrigation indicators" as they dry out and wilt before anything else. We need to water our well established clumps every 2 to 3 weeks. This Ligularia will survive temperatures down to about 0 degrees F. with the foliage dying completely back much below 20 degrees F. A great plant in the garden or in a container for lending a tropical look to any garden. It is native to moist meadows, stream banks and coastal areas in Japan and eastern Asia. For many years we sold this plant incorrectly as a cultivar of Ligularia tussilaginea but the correct name for the species is Farfugium japonicum. The changing of the name of this plant is an interesting story. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), often called "the father of modern taxonomy", described this plant as Tussilago japonica in 1767 with the genus name coming from the Greek words 'Tussis' meaning "to cough" and "ago", meaning "to act upon' in the belief that the plant was related to the European Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara but prior to this Pliny the Elder had written about the plant using the name Farfugium. When the plant was later rediscovered by the Scottish botanist Robert Fortune in 1855 it was described as Ligularia tussilaginea by the Russian physician and botanist, Emil Bretschneider with the name coming from the Latin words 'ligula' meaning "strap" in reference to the narrow, straplike petals. The English botanist John Lindley determined that Pliny the elder's name took precedence and in 1857 reestablished that Farfugium was the correct name but it took until 1939 before the name Farfugium japonicum was applied to this Asian plant by the Japanese botanist Siro Kitamura and the split from other plants that have remained in the genus Ligularia has been verified through subsequent observed DNA differences.
This description is based on our research and observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery, in the nursery garden and in other gardens that we have visited. We will also incorporate comments received from others and always appreciate getting feedback of any kind from those who have some additional information about this plant, in particular if this information is contrary to what we have written or if they have additional cultural tips that would aid others in growing Farfugium japonicum 'Gigantea'.